Date TBA: OSW meeting to discuss proposed adaptation of monastic rules into a contemporary, interfaith context that can encompass the cultural, spiritual and demographic diversity of the #Occupy movement and resulting community. We will be drafting a document that is largely modelled after a contemporary modification of the Rule of Saint Benedict (by the White Robed Monks of St. Benedict) and a version of the Franciscan rule (by the Franciscan Community of Mercy), however our proposed monastic rules would further emphasize our commitment for a new kind of monasticism that addresses systemic issues such as racism, classism, able-ism, sexism and homophobia, and also more heavily incorporate elements of collectivist leadership and decision-making from Quakers and Anabaptists. RSVP by email.

The Order of the Serene Wisdom (OSW) -- Ordo Sapientiae Viae Veritatis in Latin -- was conceived during a weekly chaplains' meeting of the #OccupyPortland Interfaith Guild of Chaplains (IGC) in late October, 2011. In the noises, actions and motions of the bustling Occupation encampment community, we felt a need for a collective, structured spiritual practice in an authentic community. There were some positive responses to this idea. Also, we believe that the #Occupy movement is a beginning of the new spiritual awakening as well as of the political, social and economic transformation. What better time is there to start a new monastic order that reflects the spirit of the #OWS worldwide? In the ancient and medieval times, monasteries saved the civilizations and provided community, places of learning, and economic opportunities amidst social unrest and collapses of empires. The OSW -- a thinly-disguised anagram of #OWS -- is a truly interfaith and ecumenical religious order that draws wisdom from both traditional scriptures and mythos from all cultures, as well as from the "Inner Light" that speaks to us in our silence. The structure of the OSW is mostly based on the Order of St. Benedict, with necessary modifications appropriate for an interfaith context, and a leadership structure modelled after the #Occupy movement's General Assembly.

The OSW is based in Portland, Oregon. We invite those outside Portland to form their own independent priories under the same name. Like the Occupy movement itself, there is no centralized global organization, just mutual cooperation.

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We began our community on October 15, 2011, originally as the Interfaith Guild of Chaplains of Occupy Portland. Our group grew and emerged along with the greater Occupy movement in the Pacific Northwest.

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